Reenforced connecting bar



Feb. 20, 1923, 1,445,85U.

. F. SC H A EFER.

REENFORCED CONNECTING BAR.

FILED DEC, 10. 1921.

RM ATTORNEYS n antenna, or rrr'rsnn'en, rnnns'rrn REENJFUCJED CQNNECTJHWE- BAR.

Application filed December 10, that. Serial No. 5213M.

To all whom it may concern:

Fe'it known that T, 'Fnnnnmo SoHAnrEn, a citizen emf the United States, and a resident of Fittsbrgh in the county of Allegheny and State of Fennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reenforced Connecting Bars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to connecting bars,

for use with the brake levers of railway car trucks, or for use as pushrods for brake cylinders, and other similar constructions. More particularly it relates to such bars formed from rolled and pressed metal. Connecting bars of this general type are already well known in the art, and are illustrated and described in detail in my prior patents Numbers 1240493, 1211763, 1263608, 1309220 and others. Such bars are formed from sheet metal, slotted at the ends and bent to hollow form with the slotted end portions forming parallel ears provided with holes for engaging connecting pms, as is understood in the art;

The particular object of the present invention is to provide such a bar so formed that a minimum of metal will berequlred for constructing it, and so that it will be longitudinally reenforced' at the certaln points, and so that the reenforcing portlons may be formed by the original rolling operation.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a rolled blank or sheet from which one of the bars embodying this invention is to be formed; Fig. 2 shows the same blank after its ends have beenshaped and slotted; Fig. 3 shows the blank after the slotted ends have been subjected to a forging. operation; Fig. 4c is an end View of the blank shown on Fig. 3, with its final form indicatedin dotted lines; Fig. 5 shows the bar in final shape as formed by bending the blank of Fig. 3 upon itself to bring the edges into contact; Fig. 6' is a side view of the completed bar; Fig. 7 is an end view thereof, and Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are sections taken upon the lines 8-8, 9-9, 10-10 and 11-11 of 6.

The improved connecting bar is formed by rolling the metal sheet or blank 1 with flanges 2 at the edges thereof. These blanks ma be rolled in sheets of any desired length, and cut u y to suitable lengths, as will be observed. n the back of the sheet 1, along its middle portion may be formed a raised, rounded reenforcing portion 3. This portion is not essential, but is preferred. After the blanks have been out to suitable length, as shown in Fig. 1, the ends are slotted at the middle, and each portion of the slotted ends is rounded ofl', as shown in Fig. 2; Tn this slotting the metal is displaced laterally, none of it being cut out from the blank. Then these slotted ends are subjected to a forging operation which forms the longitudinal raised portions, or embossments 5. The same operation turns in the inner edges of the ends along the slot 4, forming interior flanges 6, extending around the ends on each side of the slots 4. At the same time the metal around the pin holes 7 is formed into raised flanges, or embossments 8, for the purpose of increasing the bearing through which the connecting pins extend,

as is well understood in the art. In forming the intermediate portion 10 of the sheetis not materially thinned out by the formation of these raised portions about the pin eyes. The metal required for the flanges 8 is supplied chiefly from the excess provided by the thickened portions '2 and 3 of the original blank.

After this formation of the end portions has been completed by the forging operation above referred to, the blank as shown in Fig. 3 is rolled upon itself about a circular or elliptical former until "the corners of the edge flanges 2 come into contact along the length of the body portion of the bar. It will be understoad that at each end this contact' of the edges terminates a little short of the base of the slots 4, so that the ear members 11 may lie in-parallel'planes, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 7, and as is usual in the art.

As shown in Figs. Sand 9, the body portion of the bar is reenforced at its top and bottom by means of the extra metal contained in the thickened portion 3, and also by the meeting flanges 2 at the opposite side of the bar. the body may be made of comparatively thin sheet metal and on account of its circular shape, and reenforced edges and back, will The intermediate portion oi" give maximum strength in proportion to the flanges 2,and the rib 3 intermediate the edges. in'additiomin the formation of the .ears'13 the extra metal in the flanges 2 is available for use in forming the flanges 8 about the pin eyes. Furthermore, the flanges on the edges of the plate used for making this bar coming into contact as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 not only give the appearance of a thicker metal and reenforce the edges thereof, but "by the closure of the edges of the sheet as illustrated form a hollow bar of substantially greater radius than would be possible without the use of the'fia-nge. That is to say, the diameter of the bar is suo stantially increased by having these flanges at the edge of the sheet, and this gives additional strength to the bar because of the increased radius, as Well as because of the increase of metal in the flanges themselves.

The connecting bar described is of comparatively light Weight, and of maximum strength for its weight. The bar can be produced by simple and practical manufacturing operations, the longitudinal flanges being rolled on the original blank, and the additional flanges and embossments being formed by one forging operation after the blank is slotted at its ends. Or the slotting and forming of the finished ears may be performed at one forging operation. The extra metal in the flanges and rib is utilized to form the bases about the pin eyes. The bar is reenforced at all. places Where Weakness would otherwise exist, so as to resist all stresses to which such bars are subjected. It meets the exacting requirements for bars of this character and will withstand the severe conditions encountered in railway service.

I claim: a p

1. A connecting. bar comprising piece hollow body member formed fr a sheet of metal having raised flanges along each edge, the sheet being bent upon itself to bring said flanges into contact.

2 A hollow connecting bar formed from a metal sheet having its edges'turned up to form reenforcing flanges, and having a reenforcing rib extending longitudinally along the bar intermediate the flanges.

3. A connecting bar comprising a metal bent upon its self to form a hollow body member, said blank having a'longitudinal thickened portion, the ends of the bar being formed into perforated ear members, the metal in said ear members being forged to form raised flanges surrounding the perforations therein.

4. A connecting bar comprising a one piece hollow body member'slotted at its ends to form oppositely disposed ears, said body member being formed froma piece of sheet metal having thickened reenforcing edges, and an intermediate longitudinal reenforcing portion disposed along the body of the bar between the edges. a

5. A connecting bar comprising a hollow body member turned up froma blank, said blank comprising a sheet having longitudinal thickened edges and an intermediate longitudinal rib, the ends of said'bar being formed into perforated our members, the metal of the ear'members being forged to form raised bounding flanges surrounding the erforations therein.

6. A connectin bar comprising a body member formed rom a ribbed blank and having forged terminal perforated ear members, flanges surrounding the perforations of the ear members, said flanges being formed in part "from the excess metal supplied by the said ribs of the blank.

7. connecting bar comprising a hollow body member formed from a sheet of metal having raised flanges along each edge and a longitudinal reinforcing rib, said bar havits ends forged into perforated ear portions, the perforations being surrounded by raised flan es forged from the metal of the said. iges and reinforcing rib.

8. :5. connecting bar comprising a oneiece hollow body member having a longitul throughout, the meeting edges be- .ina slot thicker that the adjacent body portion, a ongitudinal reinforcing rib intermediate the edges, and forged terminal ear members reinforcing flanges surrounding pin eyes formed in the ear members.

testimony whereof, I sign my name.

FREDEREG SCHAEFER 

